FEOS wrote:
You could try researching how the system actually works for yourself.
I did that in high school. It was a mandatory class for graduation.
FEOS wrote:
And don't worry about what other people think or why they vote the way they do. It's YOUR vote, not theirs.
If people took the attitude you do (and apparently many do, based on voter turnout numbers), no one would cast their vote.
"I'm just one of 200+ million eligible voters...my vote doesn't count in the grand scheme of things."
I couldn't care less about what people think of me or my decisions. But since I don't pay enough attention to what the candidates' policies are, I don't deserve to vote for one of them. In my eyes this also applies to everyone that doesn't pay attention.
FEOS wrote:
There is no illusion: This is a democracy. Where your vote counts as much as mine and as much as the Presidential candidates themselves. That's the great thing about participating in the democratic process. The process stops being democratic when people stop living up to their responsibilities as citizens and stop giving their inputs via their vote.
Sure this government can be considered a democracy according to definition, but it isn't when compared to the original form of democracy. But, a real democracy would only make the government even more inefficient than it already is.
If everyone's vote is equal why do we even need the electoral college? Don't they have to count the votes to supposedly determine who the EC will vote for? What if someone wins the popular vote but isn't elected because of the EC?
At least we can agree that democracy stops working when the people don't vote, but it shouldn't be a person's responsibility to vote. It should be a person's responsibility to learn as much as possible about the candidates before voting. I don't vote because I lose interest in the candidates after the constant slander campaigns that accompany every form of election. It's not about who will do the better job, it's about making your opponent look like a criminal and claiming that you will give people more money than your opponent will. I am willing to vote, but I won't vote for a politician.